Infinit Nutrition Canada - Premium Sport-Specific Nutrition

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

We are proud to announce we will be fuelling all four Stroke and Stride Multisport Inc races this summer! We have partnered with Stoke and Stride to offer racers high quality nutrition to fuel them through the summer.

Stroke & Stride Multisport is a 4-race series in Southern Ontario consisting of a swim component and a run component. Races will run on the first Wednesday of each month. Race dates are as follows:

For entry pricing and more race info, you can visit the official site here.
Join the conversation at the official event Facebook page here.

Racers will be fuelling on Infinit Jetfuel - a blend of carbohydrates and electrolytes to keep you hydrated and energized during short, fast races and training sessions.

"As athletes ourselves, we only use the best nutrition
products for our training. Because of this we are very excited to partner with
Infinit Nutrition as the official on course nutrition sponsor for the Stroke
& Stride Race Series." - Stephen Moore, Stroke and Stride Event Organizer

Monday, May 29, 2017

Our Thoughts:Carbohydrate intake for performance benefit is all about timing.

To support heavy endurance
training loads - carbohydrates are are a great tool.

During your workout, carbs are good to prevent
the complete depletion of glycogen and the subsequent reliance on fat only as
an energy source. Note, it's ok to use fat as energy, but it requires us to train and
compete at a lower intensity.

Post workout, it is imperative that you take in a recovery drink post workout. For strength-based athletes, a 2:1 carb to protein ratio is recommended to support muscle protein synthesis. For those training in an endurance based sport, metabolic conditioning, or have depleted glycogen levels, a 4:1 carb to protein ratio is ideal. Carbs, with the presence of protein, are necessary to support muscle protein
synthesis. This will aid in the repair and growth of muscle at a quicker rate, as opposed to refuelling on solely a protein based drink.

Carbs and simple carbs are good if they are used as a
tool. Generally, if we use carbs (simple carbs) during and post-workout, we can
optimize our performance and recovery.

Carbohydrates and Weight Loss: Exercise alone and/or diet alone are strategies doomed to failure for weight loss. One of the main problems in today's society in regards to low carbohydrate diets is what actually is considered "low carb". Low carb is 25% of your energy or less coming from carbohydrates. The now popular low carb, high fat diets are promoting reduced intakes at much less than what "low carb" actually means. This raises the question: does a low carbohydrate approach drive the weight loss or is it adequate to have just high protein? Varying the carbohydrate content makes very little difference so long as you're energy restricted and as long as you're exercising. In the linked podcast a study is discussed where participants are put through a 16 week exercise diet; moderate energy restriction (carbohydrates), 3 sessions of aerobic training a week, 3 resistance training. On average, the participants lost 8kg of fat and had a slight increase of lean muscle mass. Ultimately, you can maintain muscle mass and lose fat mass providing the protein content is a little bit above the RDA.

Of the 61 published studies on carbohydrates and performance, over 82% showed a significant performance benefit from using carbohydrates to fuel performance.

Training in a low-glycogen state: Anytime you take carbohydrate or energy away from the muscle, you are putting metabolic stress on the muscle, encouraging it to work harder, challenging it to a greater degree. However, this doesn't always translate into a performance benefit. The problem with the train low methodology is that when we train low, which is generally during a morning session, our second session of the day goes down in intensity and power, on average 7-8%.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

So you're interested in weightlifting but not sure where to start? Olympic Weightlifter and 2008 Olympian Francis Luna Grenier has stopped by the blog to share his tips to getting started in weightlifting.

Francis: "Careful with technique - Technique is crucial in
weightlifting. Poor technique will not only make you lift less than what your
potential could allow you to, but there's a great chance you'll get injured
over time. The longer you wait to change your motor pattern the harder it'll be
to change it. Follow your coach's advice, he/she knows.

Work in different range of intensity - It's always
satisfying to hit a PR but everyday cannot always be a PR day. When people get
into Olympic weightlifting they improve drastically from week to week and they
want to keep getting that satisfying feeling. People keep pushing trying to hit
those 1 RM but sooner or later they hit a "plateau". Don't wait until
you hit that wall. Vary the intensity of the load your working with from 60% to
90% of your 1 RM and once every 4-6 weeks you can allow yourself to challenge a
PR.

Get out of your comfort zone - We all have those movements
we hate doing because they are particularly tough on our body. They are hard
because they involve skills we don't have yet. Mastering those movements you're
less comfortable with will allow you to make substantial gains and therefore
improve your lifts dramatically.

Stretch - Make sure you stretch post workout. It doesn't
need to be long, about 7 to 10 minutes every time. Olympic weightlifting is
about intense muscle contractions and you don't want to leave the gym tight
and sore; it will affect your motor pattern learning process. Loosen up before
packing up!

Olympic style weightlifting club's are hard to find, my
suggestion for you is to get into weightlifting through a Crossfit affiliate. Happy training!!"

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

I've been listening to some good podcasts lately while training indoors on stationary bikes while in Doha! Guru Performance has a whole series of podcasts that are hosted by Laurent Bannock. He brings in an topic expert each time, which have included some researchers we have had the pleasure of working with; Dr. Leigh Breen, Dr. Stuart Phillips and Dr. Trent Stellingwerff. Most of the podcasts are presented at a level that we can understand.

A few months back, we were asked by a few CrossFit boxes to put together a sleep drink that would support muscle growth and repair during our longest period of fasting - while we sleep. Generally we understood the science behind the drink; the use of a combination of proteins fast digesting and slow digesting, high levels of growth hormone generated in REM sleep and the mere fact that this is the longest period of time we go without protein, 7-8 hours if we are decent sleepers.

Muscle turnover rates are 1-2% per day. This means our muscles are naturally degrading and we need to rebuild them constantly. Our arm muscles will completely be replaced in approximately 2 months.

As we age the muscle protein synthesis response is decreased, to stimulate the same response as we age we need to take a higher level of protein. Simply for growth and repair of muscle protein after exercise we need more protein then we were younger.

Would should strive to stay in a positive protein balance if we wish to be stronger or increase lean muscle mass. We must have more protein available than is naturally degraded from our muscles.

The length of a sleep cycle and the rate of muscle degradation typically results in a negative protein balance, unless slow digesting protein is digested prior to sleep.

Generally total protein amounts to be ingested by healthy active people should be between 1.2 - 1.6 g / kg of body weight / day. Best that these are consumed in 4-5 feedings.

I encourage you to have a listen to this podcast and then see what works for you. Your protein bolus or feeding can come from multiple sources; yogurt, cottage cheese, sports nutrition, etc. Find something that works for you if you are looking to optimize a key growth and recovery period; your sleep.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

While here in Doha I was surprised to learn that the Diamond
League season opener is this Friday - tickets a plenty and for only $15.
I get to see many of the top track athletes in the world compete? Count me in. Only
drawback is that #TeamInfinit athlete Melissa Bishop declined the invitation to
compete due to the tough travel schedule associated with the event. Regardless, I'm looking forward to Friday for sure.

While scoping out the event, I saw a tweet on Heat
Acclimation and Hydration by Dr. Julien Periard - a great two minute video that
prompted me to look him up. Turns out that he performs his research right
here in Doha, at one of the world's leading Sports Nutrition Hospitals -
Aspetar. I reached out to Julien to see if we could meet; I wanted to
learn about his research, I know there is value in this area for the athletes
we support. Julien was gracious and invited me to lunch at the hospital
and then a tour of their research space. Aspetar -Sports Medicine Hospital

Aspetar Sports Medicine Hospital

Following my visit I asked Julien to share with me some of
his most relevant research - I have a big list, I will dissect and share in
future weeks. He provided a document that was put together ahead of the
2016 Road Cycling Championships in Doha last October, called "Beat the
Heat". It is a great summary of the how and why to acclimate, and the
role of hydration in achieving your best in hotter climates.

"The best way to prepare for competing in the heat is to heat
acclimatise. Some degree of heat acclimatization is obtained by regular
training, even in cool conditions, but the most efficient method for obtaining all
benefits is to train in conditions similar to the upcoming competition. The most
visible adaptations of the body to repeated training in the heat include; an
increased sweat rate, a decreased heart rate at a given intensity, a
better retention of electrolytes, and a decreased body core temperature. These
adaptations will contribute to increase performance in the heat and minimize the risk of developing heat illness."

If you are training for an endurance event that is going to
be significantly hotter and more humid than you are training in, we would
recommend you have a read of the entire document.

Thanks to Julien Periard for sharing his wisdom. I
often find some of the best researchers come from an athletic background - they
use their academics and their own bodies as real-life science experiments to
drive a further understanding of how and why things work. Here you can
see Julien pushing himself in the desert at The 2016 Al
Adaid Desert Challenge.

Monday, May 1, 2017

In 2004, I had just finished my 3rd Ironman at Lake Placid, getting in under 11.5 hrs. I was happy, but I knew that my nutrition wasn't
allowing me to reach my full potential. I was already deploying an all
liquid diet for the race as I had learned at training camps and from other
racers this was the easiest and best way to maximize caloric intake. I
still felt there was more I could do; I wasn't able to freely ingest my nutrition, literally, I was forcing it down.

As with many triathletes, I was on Slowtwitch and often heard about Infinit Nutrition. I thought it was
a rather far fetched claim - they are going to customize a blend to match my
body, my preferences, the sport and intensity that I will compete at.. I had to ask myself.. really? Seemed too good to be true. Boy was I wrong. I trained hard again, like in previous years, in preparation for my 4th Ironman at Lake Placid - but something about this years training was different. I simply got better calories in and way more; I would estimate
I was getting 50% more calories in. I did 8 century rides in preparation for the July
race and they were way different that before; no more limping home in the Windsor-Essex heat, I
was strong on my pedals all the way home. What was best was the quick recovery afterwards - I was actually ready to take on the rest of the day and I
wasn't lost to my family because I was completely depleted. Of course you feel like you just covered 100 miles, but it was in a good way. 2005
Ironman was epic for me - went 10:45 - shaved over 45 minutes of my time and finished
134th overall - this was a huge accomplishment for me. So of course in
2006 I bought the rights to Infinit Nutrition Canada and a few years later this
has become my career.

So what just happened? What has happened and does
happen every day is we help athletes of every level become even better
athletes. It doesn't matter if you are a triathlete, rower, runner, volleyball player, rugby player, a cyclist, etc - when you give us 30 minutes
we make you a better athlete. We simply allow you to achieve your
potential. A few examples, not to boast, but to demonstrate the point:

Jay Kineslla - Accomplished Ultrarunner - started fuelling him
in 2016 - dream season, including breaking a record at the Tahoe 200 Mile race.

Melissa Bishop - began working together after first Olympics
- support her dream 2015 and 2016 seasons, and a return to the Olympic Games in Rio - Fastest 800m Canadian women ever!

Ben and Chaim - started to work together for the 2015 season -
supportive of their top 10 ranking and trip to the Olympics in beach
volleyball.

Canadian CrossFit athlete - started working together in 2014
after he failed to qualify for the CrossFit games - 2 years later finishes Top
5 at the Games.

Lionel Sanders - started working together after he finishes 4th
at Ironman Texas - good result for many, but not close to his potential.
Now he is the fastest Ironman athlete ever.

From left: Lionel Sanders, Melissa Bishop, Darcy

All of these athletes were great before we started working
with them but we helped them find their potential by providing them with a sound sport nutrition plan and quality fuel. We do this for all levels of
athletes - from weekend warriors to age groupers, and everyone in between. You receive the same treatment any one of these athletes received - we will
spend 30 minutes with you on the phone or in person to understand you as an athlete, discuss what has
worked, what hasn't nutritionally, talk about your sweat rate, hydration and
then build a formulation for you that has all you need to perform. I still
find it amazing we have a business model that allows us to do this, those who
have spent 30 minutes (or more) with me on the phone or in person, know I am a
geek and absolutely love this stuff. Its not rocket science, but when
you get this right good things happen and you feel great doing
it.

For many reading this, you know this and are happy loyal
customers. What we are hoping is for you to share the word - Infinit
Nutrition Canada has more to give. If you know an athlete that is not fuelled
to their potential - send them this blog post, we would love the opportunity to
fuel them. Of course as was the word from a recent customer - don't share
if they are your fierce competitor.